Cheap Seats

Washington Capitals defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who is unsigned and wasn’t with his team for the start of the NHL season, didn’t sound too broken up over missing the opener. He’s considering playing in Europe instead of Washington.

“If I play in Germany, the money is tax free, and I get an apartment and a car and I don’t have to drive a speed limit,” he told the Washington Post. “That sounds OK to me.”

A Cross word

NBC commentator Randy Cross, a former San Francisco 49er lineman, hasn’t lost his quickness, according to Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.

New York radio host Mike Francesa saw Cross recently at Giants Stadium and said: “R.C., you lost a lot of weight.” Said Cross: “Yeah, and you found it.”

Mariners’ defense on display

A nine-foot bronze glove with a hole in the middle and eight other art works costing a total of $924,000 have been approved for a new stadium for the Seattle Mariners.

The Public Facilities District board voted unanimously Monday to approve the projects, which include wall hangings, floor inlays, commemorative trading cards and decorative metalwork on gates.

“It’s really a diverse expression of art, so many different media and styles, so that there’s really something for everyone,” said Irene Mahler, an art consultant for the board.

A piece by Thom Ross, a group of steel figures representing a runner sliding into home plate, probably will rest at the top of a stairwell.

The largest project is “Mitt,” a massive rendition by Gerry Tsutakawa to be mounted at the corner of First Avenue South and Royal Brougham Way outside the $417 million ballpark.

“I didn’t want to do anything real literal. I wanted something that was evocative,” Tsutakawa said.

If he wanted to be evocative, he should have constructed a bronze bullpen with a bunch of dogs milling around in it.

“Before instant replay, the only players anybody ever saw were quarterbacks, running backs and receivers… . Suddenly, with instant replay, everybody could see that there really were 11 players, that guards are just as essential as quarterbacks.”

Give me an ‘S’

Months ago, a Tampa businessman named Joe Rossetto paid $100 for web site rights to www.devilrays.com and then, according to the Devil Rays, tried to sell it to them for $50,000. The Devil Rays said no and made their own site, www.devilray.com.